Epilogue (4)
Epilogue (4)
"How silly is he."
Zhang Ya puffed out a slow breath. She patted her face as if trying to calm down. After that, she pulled open a small table drawer. There was a bag of candies inside. She carefully inspected every candy and then personally placed them inside a pretty box. Then, she hid a note under the candies. She put the lid back on and smiled to herself. On the other side of the room, the three girls gathered together and whispered among themselves.
Zhang Ya ignored them. She opened her dresser to pick the clothes she was going to wear tomorrow. Once she thought of the date tomorrow, she couldn't help but smile. She looked around and finally picked up the dress her mother had bought her. She tried it on and was satisfied. She changed back out and jotted down all the things she needed to do tomorrow. She memorized them and finally got into bed.
Zhang Ya made all the preparations the next day. When it was almost time, she opened the table drawer. Her hand paused. Zhang Ya looked at the empty drawer, and her body froze.
"Who took the stuff from my drawer?" Zhang Ya turned to her roommates. She had never been so angry.
"Why would we take your stuff?"
"That's right. Are you calling us thieves?"
"Why don't you ask the dorm manager? Perhaps she didn't close the door when she came to clean the room in the morning, and an outsider came in."
"Zhang Ya, don't you think you're being ridiculous? Who gave you the right to suspect us?"
Zhang Ya only said one thing, but the others made it sound like she had condemned them to eternal damnation. They turned on Zhang Ya instead.
"I'll forget what happened in the past. Which one of you took my box? Give it back to me." Zhang Ya looked at her roommates. She only got more mockeries in response. The thief was probably multiple. It was almost time. Zhang Ya looked at her roommates, and she knew it was pointless to waste her breath on them.
The bullying didn't need to be physical. It could be psychological. Zhang Ya walked out of the dorm with puffy eyes. No matter how well she behaved, she would still be attacked by those people. They seemed to hate seeing her happy. When Zhang Ya arrived at the school gate, Chen Ge was already there. He had arrived 30 minutes earlier.
"What did they say this time?" Chen Ge, who was originally a little nervous immediately, ran over. "The teacher isn't in today, so we can reason with them directly."
"It's fine. I just don't get why they're doing this." Zhang Ya stopped Chen Ge. "Let's not think about that anymore. Today is supposed to be a happy day because this is a special day for me."
Even someone as dull as Chen Ge knew not to bring Zhang Ya to watch a horror movie at that moment.
"The movie won't start until a few hours later. Do you want to come to my home before then?"
"Your home?" Zhang Ya shook her head. This was going too fast.
"I mean the haunted house at New Century Park. We can take all the rides for free." Chen Ge thought about it. He believed things like merry-go-rounds and spinning cups were more suitable for Zhang Ya than horror movies.
"Going to a theme park?" Zhang Ya imagined it and then nodded. "Okay. I quite look forward to it now."
Chen Ge pulled over an e-bike and drove Zhang Ya to New Century Park. He was a very good driver. At their age, they were like flowers blooming in the sun.
The troubles were carried away by the wind. Sitting in the back, Zhang Ya laid her hands on Chen Ge's back. It felt so blissful to have someone to rely on. Her hands tightened, and they both wanted to capture this moment. If only this journey would never end…
The bike ran out of electricity halfway. However, Chen Ge didn't ask Zhang Ya to walk. No matter how high the slope, Chen Ge would crawl up the hill with Zhang Ya still sitting on the seat.
The theme park was full since it was the first day of summer break.
"Many of the rides have long queues. Why don't we take a rest under the tree first?" Zhang Ya felt sorry for Chen Ge.
"I know a place where we don't need to queue." Chen Ge led Zhang Ya to the corner of the theme park. Compared to the rest of the park, this place was deserted.
"What is it?"
"It's my family's haunted house." Chen Ge looked at the 'ghost' taking a smoke outside the haunted house and said embarrassedly, "In the past, my family's haunted house was very popular, but since it was too scary, no one wanted to come to visit anymore."
"Is that so?" Zhang Ya didn't have the heart to expose Chen Ge. This was the first time she saw Chen Ge blush from embarrassment. "Then, we'll go experience it ourselves."
"O-okay." Chen Ge jogged to the ghost. "Uncle Xu, two tickets, please."
The ghost puffed out a smoke ring. "Why are you acting as a visitor? Shoo."
"I'm here with a friend." Zhang Ya walked over shyly.
The ghost's eyes wandered between Chen Ge and Zhang Ya. Soon, he got it. "Of course! I'll get everything ready in a minute!"
Uncle Xu tore out two tickets and pulled back the heavy curtains. "Get in. I've prepared the middle-difficulty Minghun scenario for you."
Paper money flew everywhere. Many secrets were hidden behind the high walls. The living closed their eyes while the dead fluttered about.
With the scary background music as accompaniment, Chen Ge and Zhang Ya entered the scenario.
To be honest, the Minghun scenario was quite scary, but the two youngsters had something else on their minds.
Chen Ge hoped that the haunted house employees wouldn't embarrass him before Zhang Ya, while Zhang Ya saw Chen Ge holding her hand, and her heart raced. It was not that she wasn't afraid, but she had too many things on her mind.
The scary music came from everywhere. Zhang Ya and Chen Ge walked down the long corridor and came to the wedding room. This was the scariest room, and Zhang Ya was ready. When the ghost appeared, she would naturally jump near Chen Ge and act scared. Her ears burned, and her cheeks blushed.
Zhang Ya took a deep breath as they approached the door. She had calculated everything. She only needed Chen Ge to open the door. Chen Ge placed his hand on the door, but at that last moment, he paused and turned around. "Your hand is so hot. Are you afraid? Should we leave and try another ride?"
Zhang Ya wanted to shake her head, but she was too embarrassed. She didn't know how to respond. At that moment, the door opened on its own. The paper money flew out. A white cloth strung across the beam of the roof. A white calligraphy was pasted in the middle of the room. The background music shifted. The paper money moved without wind. The human faces carved on the wall twisted. The painted woman bled tears of blood. Cries came from behind the painting. Zhang Ya slowly approached Chen Ge. She was really afraid.
The harrowing singing continued. Shadows flickered outside the window. All the white lanterns went out. The curtains of the bed moved. A pale arm reached out. Her arm was covered in signs of torture. She was forced to marry a dead body.
The bride crawled out. Her eyes glowed red with hatred!
The curtains fell, and the bride jumped at Chen Ge and Zhang Ya.
However, the next moment, the hatred on the bride's face turned into shock and, finally awkwardness.
"Chen Ge?"
The woman stopped mid-pounce. She looked at Chen Ge and Zhang Ya in surprise. "Why didn't you tell us since you're here with a friend?"
Chen Ge didn't know how to explain. He pulled Zhang Ya lightly and said softly, "This is my mother."
This was probably the most unique way for a daughter and mother-in-law to meet.
"Auntie, nice to meet you." Zhang Ya quickly greeted the bride politely.
Mother Chen was stunned. The employees outside didn't know what was happening. The scary music continued, and bloody handprints appeared on the windows.
"I didn't think Chen Ge would really one day bring a friend here." After a temporary awkwardness, Mother Chen returned to normal. "What's your name?"
"Zhang Ya. I'm Chen Ge's deskmate."
"I've heard him mention you before. He said you always help him with his studies." Mother Chen took another good look at Zhang Ya and was confused. "Girl, why would someone as pretty as you befriend Chen Ge? Compared to you, there's nothing good about him."
"He's very good." Zhang Ya defended Chen Ge, and this confused Mother Chen even more.
"Does this kid have something on you? If you're being bullied, tell Auntie, and Auntie will deal with him."
"No. It's not like that." Zhang Ya quickly shook her hands.
"Really?" Mother Chen looked at them with suspicion.
"Mom, you're overthinking things. We're going to continue our tour." Chen Ge was about to bring Zhang Ya away when Mother Chen stopped him immediately. "Kid, are you crazy? Why would you bring your friend to a haunted house?" Mother Chen took out two clearance passes from her costume. "Go and play something normal!"
Mother Chen handed Chen Ge the passes and chased them out.
"I'm sorry. Don't take what my mom said to heart." After they exited, Chen Ge saw how red Zhang Ya's face was. He led her to his room and took out fruits and drinks to serve Zhang Ya.
"Do you normally live at the haunted house?" Zhang Ya took a seat. She noticed that other than the textbooks, there were books related to crimes and law on his table. Zhang Ya took one of them out of curiosity. She saw the hand-painted map of their school and several red circles.
There was a female student who went missing at their school, and many female students reported that their shoes had mysteriously gone missing. The red circles were where the shoes had disappeared from.
"This is my hobby." Chen Ge moved the notes aside. "I like to investigate cases."
"The school's shoe-theft case?"
"Yes. I've analyzed the time when the shoes were stolen. It happens in the daytime and also at night time. The culprit is most likely not a student. I suspect it's a staff." Chen Ge sat across from Zhang Ya. "Who has so much free time and can wander around the school so openly? They have free access to locations like the medic room and locker rooms. The gym teachers are highly suspicious."
"Our gym teachers are all good people. They are very popular too. They won't do things like this."
"It's hard to tell a person's heart. It's better to be careful." Chen Ge cleaned up the table and led Zhang Ya to enjoy the rest of the day at the theme park. It was a simple day, but it left Zhang Ya with many beautiful memories. Only when she was with Chen Ge that she could forget those other things.
As the sun set, Chen Ge drove Zhang Ya back to school.
Zhang Ya appeared even more beautiful than before. This was the first time she looked forward to the arrival of tomorrow.
Zhang Ya returned to her dorm and ignored her jealous roommates. She wanted to get better to earn the right to gain happiness.
Night fell. The roommates gathered around Zhang Ya's bed. One of them hesitated but was immediately held back by the other girls.
Time passed. When the summer break was half over, Zhang Ya needed to start intense training for the ballet competition. She spent most of her time in the dance studio. Even though no one liked her, she didn't care because she knew that she'd always have a loyal member in the audience. When she thought back to Chen Ge's stunned expression when she danced before him for the first time, she just wanted to smile. Zhang Ya took out her phone and checked a message from Chen Ge. She was about to reply when she felt a heavy knock on her shoulders.
"Sorry." Her roommates walked past her. They were so giddy, like something huge was about to happen. Zhang Ya ignored them. She entered the changing room. After she put on her ballet dress, she realized her shoes were gone. "Is it a prank, or were they stolen?" Zhang Ya closed the cupboard door and walked out of the room.
The studio was very quiet that day. Even the dance teacher was late. Zhang Ya was alone in the large studio. It felt weirdly oppressive. Zhang Ya went to open the curtains when the studio door suddenly opened.
A girl who hated Zhang Ya and the gym teacher walked in. The teacher held a cute box in his hands. Zhang Ya stared at the box. Inside the box were candies and a note. It was the present she had prepared for Chen Ge.
"I'm surprised you're someone like this." The gym teacher said with a fake smile. "During the holiday, you're going around with a cute boy. It's making me so jealous." The other girl went to lock the door.
Zhang Ya was reminded of Chen Ge's hypothesis. "You're the one who has been going around stealing shoes!"
The gym teacher was stunned, and then his expression darkened. "You're quite clever. Since you know the truth, then I'll have to make you understand how to keep the secret to yourself." He lunged at Zhang Ya and cornered her. "I noticed you since the first day you joined this school. I finally got my chance today."
The folds of fat jiggled. The man's eyes glowed with lust. He grabbed Zhang Ya's neck. "Where are you running?" Zhang Ya cried for help, but no one answered. She was very far from the locked door. There was only a window near her.
"You're ostracized by all the students. Every girl hates you. Even if you die, no one will mourn you. They will think you have killed yourself." The other girl said with disdain. She couldn't wait for Zhang Ya to die.
As the gym teacher approached, Zhang Ya pushed on the window. The sun shone on her, but she felt so cold.
"Why don't you jump?!" The girl egged her on. The gym teacher charged at Zhang Ya. Zhang Ya's feet were on the ledge, but at that moment, an axe slammed into the studio door. The person didn't stop swinging. Then the door was kicked down. Chen Ge stood at the door, gasping for air. His hands were cut by glass, but he didn't seem to feel pain. He only had eyes on Zhang Ya. Without wasting any time, Chen Ge swung the axe at the gym teacher.
The gym teacher picked up the chair to resist. Due to his training, he was stronger than Chen Ge.
"You're trying to harm staff, and you two are up to immoral things! It's over for you two!" The gym teacher fought Chen Ge for the axe. The other girls who hated Zhang Ya took this opportunity to approach. The girl who hated Zhang Ya the most grabbed the chair and slammed it into the back of Chen Ge's neck. Chen Ge weakened. He knocked the gym teacher to the window. "An animal like you deserves to die!"
The gym teacher gripped Chen Ge's neck. Chen Ge couldn't breathe, but he wouldn't let the bastard go. "I will not let anyone harm her again!"
Chen Ge let go of the axe. He grabbed the teacher, and they flipped over the windowsill.
"Chen Ge!"
Blood bloomed on the white ballet dress. Then, the blood spread throughout the ground and the whole school. The image shattered like a mirror, and the presence of a Demon God vanquished the dream!
A dream without you didn't need to exist.
Zhang Ya slowly opened her eyes. She was on the second floor of the haunted house. Beside her was Chen Ge.
It had been a few months since the wedding proposal at the Ferris wheel, but Zhang Ya would still wake up in fear at night. She had been through so much.
"What's wrong? Another nightmare?" Sensing Zhang Ya's movement, Chen Ge looked at her gently. He took her hands and placed them on his heart. He wanted to share his warmth with Zhang Ya. "Will this make you feel better?"
Zhang Ya didn't speak. She leaned on Chen Ge and allowed him to hug her.
"Sleep tight." Chen Ge closed his embrace around Zhang Ya. "One day, I'll have my warmth suffused to your heart."